I felt these mallets had the right balance of tone and articulation to get the fast rhythms to speak clearly, but still hear the harmony through dense sections like 5:14. My thought process here was most of the attraction of the piece is in the rhythmic vocabulary--and finding a mallet that sounds good in every register of the marimba is always a challenge.
So im looking for lighter mallets that are also low register friendly. Im wondering how much did the few inches cut affect things? I ask because i really wouldnt want to have to cut my mallets. So my question really is, would it be worth it to still buy them withought cutting them. Im currently using the ip240s, if you tried them before, how do you think they compare? Sorry, im just super tight on money and dont have much experience with a variety of mallets. Also, hands down best performance of this piece by far. In my opinion, alot better than pickering himself.
I’ve played this piece with both cut and uncut mallets and it doesn’t really make a huge difference to me. If I’m not cutting the mallets, I’m still choking up to where I would hold them if they were. Cutting them makes a difference in the weight of the mallet and I feel like it really helped get a bit more natural rebound since. But really, cutting them also just gets rid of everything your not using so it doesn’t get in the way at all. There’s definitely a bunch of mallets that would work great for this piece-theses ones just sound the best on the instrument through the mics and feel the best for my hands.
Hi there, welcome to the military musicians community. I was a snare drummer in the US Army, 3rd US Infantry Regiment "The Old Guard Fife & Drum Corps" May 1999- May 2019. I had a back ground in DCI (snare drum-Garfield Cadets 1986), and also attended Berklee College of Music for 2 yrs, (1987-89). With your back ground, you won't have any issues with your playing competence or your physical training (PT). But Im here to tell you, being a musician in the military is not for everybody. I am extremely grateful and fortunate to have retired from my unit and now have medical and a pension for the rest of my life. If you can stomach it, the military is a great career for a musician. Its almost easy!! OK, maybe thats a stretch. But you'll be fine and succeed, if you have the right frame of mind. You will learn what that is after you get to the Marine D&B. DC can be a fun place. What I mean by "stomach it", you have to be able to tolerate the repetition, the mundane detail duties, the travel, the chain of command, the pressure to perform at your best everyday, and you may not like some of your peers and superiors, but you will still have to work together to be the best you can be. Its all about the UNIT. I joined when I was 32 yrs old, 140 lbs, and desperate to play drums for a living. And I am glad I did it. And you can do it to, as tons of others have for decades. The Marine D&B is a good unit, but there is no weekends off during the summer parade season for you guys. I worked with 2 prior D&B drummers who came over to The Old Guard drumline, so I only have second hand knowledge. Hey, enjoy yourself, and know that you will be playing drums everyday, AFTER boot camp, when you get to your unit. Good luck, and stay the course.
Congratulations and Good Luck on your time in The Commandant's Own. I saw your thumbnail that included Eric Carr so I definitely had to watch your video, like, and subscribe! I was so happy to see that you included an image from Eric playing the Synth at DCI in August of 2018. It is one of my favorite videos. (It's actually in my Awesome Performances playlist). I have also met and really enjoyed talking with MGySgt Rulapaugh, and I know he had a lot to do with your acceptance into The Commandant's Own. It will be interesting to see your videos as you progress through boot camp and your time in the United States Marine Corps! Semper Fidelis!
Very professional. You're actually pretty good in front of the camera. Your on camera persona is very confident and engaging. Good job. Maybe your next career after the Marines can be a RU-vid influencer.
Anyone know what mallets he used in this video? Almost all the mallets I own are heavier variations, and I want to look into some lighter mallets for pieces for this
Beautiful performance, Gage! It's great to see the new generation playing Joe Tompkins' music so artistically. This is the future of percussion! Cheers from right over here in Wilmington!
I know I'm a bit late to this but I love the sound! There's an almost Moorish/Spanish flair there that I absolutely adore, and that I think you pulled off superbly
